Equivocation is a [[:Category: Logical Fallacies|logical fallacy]] that involves taking a word with more than one definition and freely substituting one definition for another.

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Equivocation is a [[logical fallacy]] that involves taking a word with more than one definition and freely substituting one definition for another.

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For example: "A feather is light. Therefore, a feather cannot be dark." There are two meanings of the word "light." The first sentence assumes a meaning that is the opposite of "heavy," not the opposite of "dark."

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For example:

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: "A feather is light. Therefore, a feather cannot be dark."

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:* There are two meanings of the word ''light''. The first sentence assumes a meaning that is the opposite of ''heavy'', not the opposite of ''dark''.

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This fallacy is used frequently in the service of [[apologetics]] arguments. A few examples:

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This fallacy is used frequently in the service of [[apologetics]] arguments. A few relevant examples:

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# [[Atheism is based on faith]].

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# [[Atheism requires faith]]. There are multiple meanings of the word "faith".

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#* There are multiple meanings of the word ''[[faith]]'', for example things you trust in without critical analysis or things which people believe with good evidence.

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# [[No true Scotsman]] fallacy. When somebody says "So-and-so wasn't really a [[Christian]] because he did that," they are relying on ambiguity in the word "Christian".

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# [[Prayer]] is meditation.

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#* Redefining prayer as only a form of mental meditation rather than petitions for things is often used to justify the efficacy of prayer in the petition context.

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# "[[No true Scotsman]]" fallacy.

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#* When someone says, "That person wasn't really a [[Christian]] because he did that," they are relying on ambiguity in the word ''Christian'' and redefining it to suit their needs.

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# [[The existence of laws implies a law-giver]].

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#* This stems from a confusion between [[natural law]]s and legal laws. Even legal laws do not always require a law giver. [[Wikipedia:Common law|Common law]] can involve customs which are [[Meme]]s that evolved over time.

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# [[Evolution is only a theory]].

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#* This plays on the confusion between the scientific and colloquial definitions of the word ''theory''.

==External Links==

==External Links==

* [http://www.fallacyfiles.org/equivoqu.html Fallacy files]

* [http://www.fallacyfiles.org/equivoqu.html Fallacy files]

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{{Logical fallacies}}

[[Category: Logical fallacies]]

[[Category: Logical fallacies]]

Revision as of 19:54, 10 April 2012

Equivocation is a logical fallacy that involves taking a word with more than one definition and freely substituting one definition for another.

For example:

"A feather is light. Therefore, a feather cannot be dark."

There are two meanings of the word light. The first sentence assumes a meaning that is the opposite of heavy, not the opposite of dark.

This fallacy is used frequently in the service of apologetics arguments. A few relevant examples: